MY RITE OF PASSAGE DURING THE SUMMER OF ’76 is a riveting coming-of-age memoir about adventure on the high seas with philosophical musings that add a resonant layer of depth.
In this memoir, H. Downing Lane recalls the 25-day transatlantic sailing trip he took in 1976 as a young man, the details of the journey around Iceland, the Faroe Islands, and other locales, and reflects on its significance as a coming-of-age learning experience.
H. Downing Lane was 26 years old in 1976 when he decided to sign up for a transatlantic sailing trip into the Arctic with an accomplished captain named E. Newbold Smith. In this vivid, often exhilarating memoir, Lane draws from journal entries written during his time at sea to share an account of the remarkable voyage.
The Atlantic crossing was a 25-day affair, from Chesapeake Bay, around Iceland, the Faroe Islands, and the coast of Norway. It was undertaken at a point in Lane’s life when he was feeling particularly vulnerable, as he was recovering from an accident in which he had lost an eye. He wished to “prove [his] mettle,” not to the other men aboard the boat, but to himself. As it turned out, Captain Smith was something of a kindred spirit, as he too had survived a devastating accident many years earlier. Lane provides the reader with a realistic vision of what life aboard a sailing vessel is like, from the often freezing temperatures above and below deck, to the many challenges presented by simple bodily necessities. He describes various technical aspects of working on the boat, but his language never devolves into jargon; his account is always perfectly clear and accessible.
Lane seasons the text with literary and philosophical quotes that frequently allow him to consider the greater meaning of his experience, and even of life itself. There are also numerous stunning photographs included of the boat and the various stops along the way.
Read an Exclusive Excerpt
At 26 years old, I had almost no reference point. I was too inexperienced to know better or worse…I didn’t know what to expect…I didn’t know worse until I did.
Our harnesses instilled a confidence and an illusion we could never be knocked overboard or lost a sea. It was a near miracle none of us got swept over the lifelines. This was but our daily hope and fear. Hope the harness would hold, hope we could stay put, we could hold on. Like an umbilical cord, no one knows how firmly attached we are attached. And we were babes in a sea of hope. Yes, we were attached to being attached to our bucking Reindeer.
My greatest fear wasn’t when I was on the foredeck, but when Newbold ordered a sail change. To reduce sail meant we were overpowered and needed to slow down. And we were at his mercy. Adding a bigger sail meant we could go faster. I mentioned to Newbold, “We aren’t racing are we?” But I think he had a hard time adapting to a cruising mentality to rather than racing. I could feel his competitive juices churned up whenever the wind changed.
When I was growing up in the 1950s and 1960's, I remember feeling the wrath and the roar of hurricane force winds from the cozy confines of my parent's home on the Eastern shore of Maryland. As a youngster I recall watching a nearby river tide rise over docks, while winds and waves whipped pilings and slapped shorelines. Out my bedroom window I would watch Nature’s fascinating forces and dream. Always seeing myself struggle against wind and water, almost as if I had faced them in a different reality and realm. Maybe I had faced the elements before. Maybe I had been a sailor in another lifetime, a mariner in a different time.
About the Author:
Presently he is writing a series of books that chronicle his sailing adventures.
Born and raised on the eastern shore of Maryland, he has returned home after 40 years to write. Henry taught sailing for eight years on Long Island Sound and sailed competitively on the Chesapeake Bay, crewed transatlantic to Iceland and Norway, been a crew member of a number of Annapolis – Newport and Newport – Bermuda races and sailed much of the Caribbean and Bahamas.
In 1978, he sailed the SORC around Florida. In 2008, he purchased Mystique, a 40′ leopard catamaran, and in 2013, he sailed it to Santo Domingo, the Turks and Cacaos and eventually to Florida.
In 2016, he sailed solo for 51 days through the Exumas. On another adventure he and Lainie Wrightson had a calamitous time together – losing both rudders – the basis of his second book, Bluewater Mystique.
He has chartered boats to sail the Dalmatian Coast, Belize, Abacos, Eleuthera and the Maine coast. While maintaining his blog www.bluewatermystique.com, he has written numerous blogs about life and sailing.
He is a dedicated learner and loves sharing his experiences and stories.
Social Links
Website https://hdowninglane.com/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/HenryDLane
Twitter https://twitter.com/hlane4200
Buy Links
Amazon https://amazon.com/dp/0228813638
Indigo https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/my-rite-of-passage-during/9780228813651-item.html
Barnes and Noble https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/my-rite-of-passage-during-the-summer-of-76-h-downing-lane/1136878784;jsessionid=95301DEE645C56E3F36E9185A65C64A5.prodny_store01-va02
Kobo https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/my-rite-of-passage-during-the-summer-of-76
Smashwords https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1015994
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ReplyDeleteSounds like a good read.
ReplyDeleteI agree, this sounds like an interesting memoir.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a book I'll enjoy!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a very good book.
ReplyDeleteTransatlantic sailing sounds like a crazy, at times fun and possibly dangerous thing to do.
ReplyDelete